


Innocence Lost

by Anotherdumblonde



Series: 99 Red Balloons [1]
Category: 99 Red Balloons (Song)
Genre: Coming of Age, Distopian Future, F/M, Young Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-21
Updated: 2015-04-23
Packaged: 2018-03-25 01:37:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3791776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anotherdumblonde/pseuds/Anotherdumblonde
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Brynn and Noah know they are breaking the rules, but they are young and in love.  When Brynn accidentally sets off a catalyst that begins the end of the life she knows, she needs to try and fix it.  By trying to make things right, she unknowingly changes not only her fate but the fate of those she loves, and she discovers a truth about the her world and herself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written for a group of girls, who put their hearts and souls into their passion. This is my little gift to them. A bit of insight into a song that was one of my favorite's from my childhood. Now becoming a little bit of their childhood.

You and I in a little toy shop, buy a bag of balloons with the money we've got.

Set them free at the break of dawn, 'til one by one, they were all gone.

Back at base, bugs in the software,

flash the message, something's out there.

Floating in the summer sky, 99 Red Balloons go by

 ::99 Red Balloons::

 

CHAPTER ONE

 

Youth is wasted on the young.  At least that is what I have been told.  At the time, I argued firmly against the aged and decrepit, who would look at me with envious eyes, and jealous hearts.  What did they know that I didn't.  I was youth.  I was strong.  I was beautiful.  The world was mine.  I look back now, and shake my head at my innocence.  And yet, I can't fully agree with them.  It wasn't the youth that did this.  It was the adults.  The ones who think they knew better.  The ones whose hearts are jaded by corruption and power.  They did this.  

We tried to tell them.  We tried to explain.  But what did we know.  We were children, and we had already been accused of disobedience.  How could they believe us?  How could we be telling the truth?  We had broken too many laws already.  And they always knew what was best.

\---------------------------------------------

    The gravel crunched beneath our shoes, as we walked out of the copse of woods, and onto the track that led back into town.  I can remember it so vividly.  The setting sun before us, splashing the sky in tangerine, watermelon and violet.  The sun itself reminded me of an image I had seen once as a child, of a ripened peach.  It hung there in the sky, as if waiting for someone to pluck it from it's place and taste the sweet flesh it promised. I lifted my face to it, welcoming the last warm rays before it sunk beneath the horizon and disappeared until tomorrow.  Once in a while I try to imagine what it might have tasted like.  Peaches were things of before the war.  And the war was long before me.  They were gone now.  Exterminated, and any that survived in the twisted specimen that was left of the trees, rotted almost immediately on the branch.  That was only a small instance of what we had lost in the aftermath of the Glorious War.  Yes, that is what it had been named.  After all history is always written by the victors.

    Tinka and Jory skipped before us, kicking up dust as they gleefully danced and laughed.  I smiled at them.  Tinka, her blonde braids bouncing as she twirled.  Her pink skirt rippling out around her.  Her face was raised to the sun, and the look of pure joy was one I rarely saw on my sister.  Jory skipped along next to her.  More sedately, but just as childishly.  He was enamored with Tinka.  And it's not hard to imagine why.  Even in the meager 7 years he had been alive, Jory had never seen someone like Tinka.  All blonde and pink, and pure.  Not a mark on her skin, no dirt beneath her fingernails.  Her clothes were pressed and new, her shoes shined brightly with polish.  She was like an angel come down from heaven just for him, he whispered to me once.  I had smiled fondly at him, but my heart ached that day.  

    Lost in my own thoughts, I was startled when I was bumped into and almost stumbled.  Turning quickly, it was his smile I saw first, and then his eyes.  Noah's leaf green eyes danced with humor as he winked at me.  It was his eyes that had caught my attention from our very first meeting.  And what a memorable meeting it had been.  He had saved me from falling headlong down a precarious flight of stairs, when I had been with my father on a diplomatic visit East of the Wall.  And then had almost let me fall again, when he realized he had put his hands on a Capitol citizen, and the Vice-Chairman's daughter at that.  In the end he had kept me upright, and managed to scurry away before my father had returned from inspecting the factory.  

I couldn't help the goofy smile that broke over my face.  It always did when I was with him.  His black hair hung slightly too long and he was forever brushing it out of his eyes.  

    "What were you thinking?" Noah asked, his voice deep and melodic with the long rolled vowels and consonants of the East.

    I blushed, secretly please that he cared enough to ask.  "Tinka and Jory enjoy these days together so much.  It will be sad when the summer ends and we will be back in school."

    Something passed over his face but was gone quickly; replaced with a soft smile.  His green eyes watched his little brother so intently.  They were like mirror images of each other, except for their skin.  Where Noah's was a healthy, if pale, color, Jory's was pale and leaned towards gray.  I had heard of it before.  In the mine workers from the East.  All of the men who worked in the mines eventually became gray, and died from the poisonous air buried below the earth.  But never had I seen it in a child as young as Jory.  

    Shaking off the pall of sadness, I smiled and nodded towards the two children.  "He told me he thinks Tinka is an angel."  

    Noah shook his head.  "He told me the same thing," he chuckled.  "I told him she wasn't an angel."

    "Noah," I admonished, "let him have his dreams.  They will be gone all too quickly."

    He laughed at me and reached for my hand.  I pulled away but he captured it and tugged me closer.

    "I told him she was a faerie princess and that you are the faerie queen.  And that we can't tell anyone about you, or you won't be able to come back and play with us."

    I giggled.  For someone who had not had much beauty in his life,  Noah's words always painted a lovely picture.  And yet they hid our dangerous secret.

    "Are you a secret romantic, Noah Tully?"  I laughed fondly at him.

    He pulled me close, twisting my arm behind my back gently, causing our bodies to press together.  "And if I were... could I steal a kiss from the faerie queen?"

    I laughed, pushing him away, although my heart beat wildly in my chest.  "Silly boy.  You cannot steal kisses from the queen.  She can only bestow them upon persons worthy.  And I am not in a mood to bestow my kisses today."

    Oh, the ache of that lie.  But hindsight is 20/20, and there is no point in wasting wishes on something so fruitless.  Noah was 18 to my 16, and in my eyes so much older than that.  In the East, he had become a man the moment he had walked into the mine, at the age of 10.  Noah had explained that when his father died a three years later, he had in truth become the man of his family.  Because they had needed the extra income Jory had entered the mine, much earlier, running errands for the men.

    A sudden yell from Jory, jerked us both back to reality.  He stood in the middle of the gravel road, staring straight ahead.  His hand pointing at the small shop on the corner where Cheapside began.  Cheapside was one of the poorest districts within Central.  It sat along the wall, that surrounded Central, and was home to those who did not pass the aptitude test and were unable to do the physical labor required in the outlying regions.  

    "Jory, come back here," Noah called, jogging after his brother and Tinka.

    "Look, Noah!  Look!" Jory called over his shoulder as he hurried to the shop.

    Noah's pace became faster, and I followed quickly behind.  My heart caught in my throat.  If Jory and Noah were spotted on this side of the wall, there would be a high price to pay.  No one was allowed through the wall without their papers and Central authorization.  Noah and Jory had neither.  And their second infraction was to be in the company of Tinka and myself.  The Vice-Chairmans daughters were prime targets for many of the rebellious factions looking to change the government within Central.  

    "Jory, stop!"  We called to him as he made his way further from the break in the wall and closer to exposure and dire consequences.

    He suddenly came to a stop when Tinka grabbed his hand and held him next to her, her face fearful at Noah's and my expressions.  As we caught up to them, Noah grabbed his brother and knelt before him.

    "What are you thinking?  We are not supposed to be here, Jory.  If they find us, they will detain us.  They will put us in a cell.  Brynn and Tinka will get in trouble for being with us.

    "Jory, do you want that to happen?"  Noah gave him a little shake.

    Wide eyed with fear, Jory shook his head.  

    "You must think, Jory.  We do not have the luxury of making mistakes like this."  Noah placed his hands on the boys shoulders, and Jory gave him a solemn nod.

    "Where were you going?"  he finally asked.

    Silently Jory pointed again to the shop on the corner of East Wall Street.  There was a sandwich board sign set up outside, and floating above, attached securely to the sign, was a  bunch of red balloons.  They floated peacefully, looking like a great cluster of grapes, the bright red color the only great difference.  I smiled, looking at the cheerful color, completely out of place in the worn browns and grays of Cheapside.

    "What are they?" he whispered, in awe.

    Tinka looked at him curiously.  "Those are balloons."

    "What do they do?"

    "Nothing.  But if you don't hold them tight they float away," she assured him.

    "Have you never seen a balloon, Jory?"  I asked crouching down beside him, the hem of my cornflower blue skirt brushing the dirt.

    "No," he answered, not taking his eyes from them.

    Standing, I strode away from them and into the crowded toy shop.  I asked the older man behind the counter how much the balloons were, and pulled my allowance from my pocket.  He shook his head, telling me that he would be closing shop soon, and that the balloons wouldn't last for tomorrow, so I could have them for nothing.  I argued, and refused to take them without leaving something.  He finally agreed and walked outside with me.  He untied the bunch and handed me the strings.  He thanked me again, and returned to close his store, while I returned to my three companions who stared at me wide eyed.

    I smiled at Noah, and reached out, handing Jory the balloons.  His eyes grew as round as saucers, as he took them from me.  It was as if nothing was more mesmerizing.  Tinka stood next to him.  The two of them staring up at the numerous balloons with bright smiles on their faces.  Noah, moved to stand next to me and touched my hand.  I glanced at him, and my smile fell when I saw the frown he wore.

    "Brynn, we can't take these.  People will want to know where we got them.  There are no balloons East of the wall."  

    Both Jory and Tinka turned at his words.  Jory's face had fallen and Tinka looked at him contemplatively.

    "They will know we were in Central if we are caught with these.  I'm sorry, Jory, we just can't take them home."

I wanted to cry, watching the boy's face fall.  And then a thought came to me.

"Jory," I spoke only to him.  "Do you want to see what balloons really do?"

He looked at me.  Those wide leaf green eyes, staring up at me as if I really was a faerie queen.  So innocent and trusting.

"Yes," he whispered.  The sound barely audible.

I put my hand over his, holding the strings of the balloon with him.  "Let me take the balloons.  And at dawn when you are going to work with Noah, I want you to look to the Western sky.  And you will see what balloons really do.  But first, you must do something.  Can you do something for me?"

He nodded, caught in my web of mystery.

"I need you to take one of the balloons.  Pull it down until you are holding the balloon between your hands.  And then whisper one wish to the balloon.  Anything you want.  And tomorrow you will see why."  

He did as I asked.  His face very serious as he made his wish.  And then handed the bunch of balloons over to me.  

"Come, Jory.  We have to go.  Brynn and Tinka have to get home.  And so do we."  Noah moved to take his hand.

"Do you trust me, Jory?"  I asked him softly.

"Yes."

I smiled at him.  "The Western sky at dawn then."

He smiled and turned, running back down the gravel lane to the gap in the wall, hidden by some overgrown brush and trees.  Noah waited a moment.

"I'm sorry, Brynn..." he began.

I shook my head, and stopped him.  "I didn't think.  I'm the one who is sorry.  Will you make sure he's watching?"

Noah nodded, as he took a step to follow Jory.

"Thank you," I said.

It was his turn to shake his head.  "No, thank you."

He turned and followed his brother, not looking back.  He never looked back.  I watched as he faded from sight into the trees, and stood a moment waiting.  I always waited.  For what I wasn't sure, but I did it anyway.   Feeling Tinka slip her hand into mine, brought me back to reality.  

"Come on, Tink.  Time to go home.  And remember, not a word about Jory and Noah.  Or the Vice-Chairman will keep us bound to the house grounds."

Tinka squeezed my hand, looking up at me.  "I remember, Brynn.  I always remember."

Taking the balloons, I tied them to the doorknob of the now vacated toy shop.  It would be easier than carrying them home, trying to explain their presence to my parents, and then somehow sneaking them back to Cheapside at dawn.

With a nod we turned and headed to the depot, to pick up the rail back to High Street.  We arrived home just before the Vice-Chairman, and managed to wash up before we were called to dinner.  My parents spoke of their days, and they asked us what we had been up to.  We smoothly told our stories, leaving out our trip to Cheapside (where we were forbidden to go), and our afternoon with Noah, and Jory (whom were forbidden inside the walls of Central).  They listened to us, half interested, and only asking because that's what made good parents, according to the council.  

I lay in bed that night, still dressed in my clothes from the day.  Wide awake, and anxious for the hour before dawn.  When it came, I left through the front door.  Silent as a ghost, fading into the shadows.  I used my credits for the rail ride back to Cheapside, and found my way back to the toyshop on East Wall Street.  Untying the balloons, that were surprisingly still floating, I sat on the curb, beneath the street lamp and waited.  It wasn't long to wait, before the sky began to brighten in the East.  And very slowly, one by one, I took each balloon, and set it free.  The wind came from the west, as it always did early in the morning, and blew them up and over the wall, dark spots against the brightening sky.  I watched  as each floated away.  All tied to a wish that I made.  All except for one.  The last one was Jory's wish.  And as it faded from sight, I hoped he had seen his balloon's go by.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 99 red balloons, floating in the summer sky  
> Panic lights, it's red alert, there's something here from somewhere else  
> The war machine springs to life, opens up one eager eye  
> Focusing it on the sky, 99 red balloons go by  
> ::99 Red Balloons::

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the song that I listened to (almost daily, for 8 months) to write this short story. Please give it a try, I think it's one of the best versions of this song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMDTFf6pODE

CHAPTER TWO

It happened on the rail home.  The explosions shook the pods, causing them to rock violently on the single magnetic rail.  The sirens screamed, from the speakers placed strategically around Central.  The panic lights flashed from every corner .  Finally the pods came to a halt, and the doors opened as the occupants rushed from them in confusion.  I followed the crowds, my heart tripping in my chest.  We had been prepped for this since elementary school.  We lived with the threat of rebellion every day.  The other regions were in a state of constant unrest, and their leaders spoke out against the laws the the Chairman and Vice-Chairman laid down for all of the regions, from their comfortable seat in Central.  But never had they ever tried outright rebellion.  It was no matter that Central had measures in place, no one ever thought they would be needed.

Hurrying along, trying to move through the crowd, praying that no one recognized me, I found myself bumped and buffered, as people ran in chaotic confusion.  I was in a state of complete fear.  I could feel the hammering of my heart through my ribs.  Although it was a cool morning, the sweat was beaded on my forehead.  I finally could see the gates of my house, but I was moving against a tide of people who had no intention of allowing me to pass through.  I can't remember how I made it home, but by the time I arrived, the whole house was awake.

Walking through the door in the kitchens, the flurry of activity came to a complete stop.  All eyes were upon me, as I slowly walked through to the door that led to the hall.  Leaving the oppressive silence behind, I entered the empty hall way.  Listening for my parents, I glided on silent feet across the plush carpet.

"Miss Brynn."  The sonorous voice came from behind me.

Spinning on my heel, I found Cyrus, the Vice-Chairman's personal assistant.  I'm sure I couldn't have looked more guilty, but somehow he didn't see the telltale blush that pinkened my cheeks.  Perhaps he didn't know the guilty look of a teenager, or perhaps he was so preoccupied by what was happening outside the house that he just wasn't paying attention.  Whatever the reason, his eyes were glued to the tablet in his hand.

"Is something wrong?" I asked as innocently as I knew how.

"Your father is at the Chamber of Ministers.  Your mother is looking for you.  She is frantic."  

From the tone of his voice, the last thing my mother sounded like was frantic.  But I patiently waited for him to tell me where she was.  When he appeared completely absorbed in whatever was streaming across the tablet, I rolled my eyes.

"Cyrus."  I called his name, annoyed at his utter dismissal of me.

His eyebrows rose, but he never looked up from his tablet.  "Hmm?"

"My mother."

"Yes, what about her?"  Again his eyes remained focused down, never really acknowledging me.

"Where is she?"  I was almost shouting now.  

He finally looked up at me.  "Oh, in the dining room."

I sighed, as his attention slipped again back to the tablet.  "Cyrus.  What is going on?"

"You need to see your mother, Miss Brynn."  The answer was tossed over his shoulder as he strode down the hallway in the opposite direction.

With a deep breath, I turned and entered the dining room to find my mother and Tinka huddled together at the opposite end of the table.  My mother was still in her nightgown and wrap.  Something that never happened.  Tinka was still in her pajamas.  Something that was never allowed.  As they realized I was truly standing there, my mother jumped up from the table and dashed to me.  Pulling me into her arms, she sobbed incoherently into my hair.  Tinka was attached to my free hand.  Squeezing so tight, I was afraid the circulation might stop.  

"You're safe.  Thank God, you're safe."  My mother repeated over and over.

"Mother, what's going on?  What's happened?"  I asked, trying to gather some kind of information.

But when she picked her head up, it was not with joy that she looked at me, but with anger.  "Where have you been?  Your father and I were worried senseless.  Where were you, Brynn?"

Pulling together a lie, I stepped away from her palpable anger and moved to speak.  "I had trouble sleeping and..."

"Do you know what I thought when you weren't in your room?  Do you know what went through my mind?  What went through your fathers mind?  Do you know what certain factions outside of Central would do to the Vice-Chairman's daughter?  Are you so thoughtless, Brynn?  Do you not care for anyone but yourself?"

"Mother, I..."

"Do not, Brynn.  Your father want's to see you."  She refused to let me speak.  

"Now?"

She gave a curt nod.  "Yes.  He is waiting for your call.  Cyrus will set it up in Father's study.  The screen in there is the biggest.  Go now."

I nodded, and turned, shaking Tinka from my arm.  

"Brynn," she cried, reaching for me.

"Tinka, leave Brynn alone.  Go to your room."  Mother admonished, her anger lashing out at Tinka.

My sister ducked her head, and slunk out of the room.  I frowned at my mother.

"You did not need to be so harsh with her.  It is me you are angry with."

Her blue eyes narrowed.  "Do not think to tell me how to be a parent.  Go call your father."

Her words were like ice and I hurried from the room, to find my father's study, and Cyrus.

____________________________________

I stood before the large screen in the Vice-Chairman's study, and stared at my feet as his tirade washed over me.  He finally halted, and allowed me a moment to look up at him.  I didn't want to cry.  I hated crying, but I was truly sorry for the fear I had caused my parents.  I had no intention of them ever knowing I had left before dawn, let alone not returning quickly after the siren's had started.  My remorse was real, but I still did not want him to see my tears.  But tears burned in my eyes none the less, and see them he did.  

His face softened, and he tried to sooth me.  "Don't cry, Brynn.  You know I hate to see you cry."

"I'm sorry, Father.  I never meant to upset you and Mother.  I had planned to return before the house was awake."

"But what were you doing?  Where did you go?"

I returned to the same lie I had tried to tell my mother.  "I couldn't sleep.  I thought a ride on the rail might make me sleepy.  I only intended to ride it to the end and back."

"Brynn, you know how dangerous it can be out there.  What were you thinking?"

What was I thinking?  That a little boy's happiness was worth more, than me worrying about my safety.  That giving him a bit of happiness, was nothing to the cure he would have received if he lived in Central.

"I wasn't.  I'm sorry, Father.  I never meant to worry you."

"I know.  Still, this cannot happen again.  Especially now."

I truly looked at him, for the first time and saw that my usually handsome and dapper father, looked worn, and haggard.  There were lines beneath his eyes, and a growth of stubble on his cheeks.  His shirt was wrinkled and his tie haphazardly thrown on.

"Father, what is going on?  What set off the sirens?"  I asked finally.

He sighed and looked away from the screen for a moment.  When he looked back, he appeared resigned.

"The War Machine, was alerted to objects in the sky, over the Eastern wall.  It could not identify them, but registered them as threats.  The alarms were sounded, and the Machine took care of them."

My heart was now caught in my throat.  Objects in the air, over the Eastern wall?  I had been in Cheapside that morning.  The only objects that had been in the air were Jory's red balloons.  Could this be what he was speaking of?  No, I thought.  How could the Machine mistake balloons for missile threats?  The Machine was infallible.  Wasn't it?  That is what they want us to believe.  But now, I wasn't so sure.

"Father, are you sure the Machine was correct?  I was in Cheapside this morning, and there was nothing threatening in the air."

"Brynn, do not question the Machine.  It does not make mistakes."

"But, Father, perhaps there might be..."

"Brynn, I have no time for this now.  I am needed at the Council of Ministers."

"What will they do, Father?"

"We are prepared to do whatever we must to ensure the protection of Central and it's citizens.  We have been ready for this for a long time.  Don't worry, Brynn, you will be safe.  Remain in the house, without complaint, until I get home."  

His sternness was back, and I knew better than to argue with him.  Just as I knew that machines were not perfect, and could have corrupt programing. I needed to talk to Noah.  He would know what to do.  

"Yes, Father."  I acquiesced to his demand.

"I will see you when I return home, Brynn.  Take care of your mother and Tinka for me."

"Yes, Father."  And with those words the screen when blank.

I stood there.  My mind swirling with everything I had just heard.  I needed to get out of here.  I needed to get to Noah, and warn him.  I needed to tell my father what had really happened in Cheapside this morning.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 99 decision street, 99 ministers meet  
> To worry worry super scurry, call the troops out in a hurry.  
> This is what we've waited for, this is it boys this is war  
> The president is on the line, as 99 red balloons go by.  
> ::99 Red Balloons::

CHAPTER THREE

 

    I dashed to my parents room, and began to sift through my fathers closet.  I needed Noah to speak to the Council of Ministers.  We needed to explain what had happened, and that the East was not attacking Central.  I needed Noah to look like he belonged, or I would never get him past Cheapside.  Grabbing a suit, shirt, and shoes, I scurried to my room and stuffed it all into a bag.  Quickly changing out of my wrinkled clothes from yesterday, I found my most capable looking dress.  It was black, with white buttons down the front.  The skirt fell to my knee and was full.  There was a small lacy collar and short puffed sleeves that also buttoned with a white button at the cuff.  I pulled on my black ballet flats, and pulled a brush through my hair.  Unsure if I should take the time to put it up, I held it back with white satin ribbon around my head.

    Slinging the bag over my shoulder, I headed down stairs, and into Mother's morning room.  She looked up at me.  

    "Where are you going?"  Mother immediately asked.

    Keep it simple, I thought.  Stay as close to the truth as possible.  "Father asked me to bring him a change of clothes.  He threw on his clothes from yesterday after he got the call from the Chairman, and needs something clean for the Council of Ministers."

    Mother nodded, used to me going to visit Father for one reason or another.  She didn't question my lie, because so many other times it would have been the truth.  

    "I’ll have Cyrus call the transport for you.  I don't want you walking the streets anymore."  Mother ordered, as she studied her agenda that was loading on her tablet.

    "Yes, Mother." I agreed, turning and leaving her behind.  

    As I neared the front foyer, I heard footsteps running down the tile floor of the hallway.  Turning I found Tinka hurtling headlong into me.  

    “I want to come too.”  She gripped my waist fiercely.

    I knelt down so we were eye to eye.  “I must go alone Tink.  Things are happening that I must try and fix.  I’m going to get Noah.”

    She looked at me for a long time, before she nodded decidedly.  “Yes.  Noah will help you.  He will help you fix what is broken.”

    How wise she was at such a young age.  I wish I could protect her forever, but I knew that eventually she would grow up.  I just prayed that she had a world to grow up in.

    We both heard our mothers heels, and looked up to find her marching down the hallway towards us.  The tablet, her constant companion, tucked firmly in her hand.

    “I told you to go to your room, young lady.  Why can’t you follow one simple direction?”  She railed at Tinka, who stared at her with upturned eyes.

    I whispered in her ear.  “Wait for me in my room.  Hide quietly in there.  She won’t find you.”

    Although she did not respond, I knew she heard me.  She strode past Mother, with a soft, ‘I’m sorry’, and hurried to the end of the hall and my bedroom door.  Mother never noticed, her eyes locked upon me.  

    “Don’t get into trouble at the Council of Ministers.  Drop off your fathers things off, and return home.”

    “Yes, Mother.” I said, and nodded at her.

    She continued past me and into the kitchen, her focus back on the tablet she had on her person at all times.

    Cyrus had the transport brought around for me, and I headed into the center of the city.  I was going in the wrong direction, but this didn't bother me.   The rail terminal was directly across from the Council building.  It would be a slightly longer ride, but in the end it would require less lying and less remembering.  After the driver dropped me off, I blended into the foot traffic and crossed the newly paved road.  Everything in the Capital looks new and shiny.  It's all an illusion though.  Like putting on makeup; it can hide all of the flaw beneath.  

    I ducked into the rail depot and hurried to the platform where the pods were waiting.  I had brought actual money with me today, and paid for 2 round trip tickets.  Credits were easy to track.  The conductor took my money and handed me the tickets, then moved on to the next car.  The sirens had stopped screaming, but the panic lights still flashed red on every corner.  I rode to Cheapside, the bag clutched to my chest.  I was praying Noah would be there.  He had met me there every day from our first meeting.  We would sit and talk for the short time he had for lunch, and he would return with Jory, once his day in the mines was done.  

    In Cheapside, I nearly ran to East Wall Street and then to the end of the road where the gap in the wall was hidden by the trees.  Reaching it I looked over my shoulder to make sure I wasn't seen, and I stepped into the over growth.  Finding the gap, where the wall had collapsed when the mortar had eroded away, I turned and slid through into the East.  Looking around, I felt like I was in another world.  Where Central was manicured within an inch of each plant's life, East was overgrown and wild.  There was no rhyme or reason to how things were growing, as if nature had simply taken over after the Glorious War, and had been allowed free reign.  Something like that would never happen in Central. The government controlled everything, including when, where, and how plants could be grown.  But we were safe and prosperous.  It was a little thing to give up, to have the security the outlying regions didn't, wasn't it?  

    I called out in a low voice.  Noah was normally waiting for me, but he was not there as far as I could see.  I turned, a panic settling in my chest.  Had something happened to him?  Had he been caught inside Central?  The woods spun around me as I turned, the trees becoming menacing, the longer I waited.  Suddenly, a hand was clamped over my mouth and I was spun around.  A squeak escaped from me throat, and my eyes dilated at the fear I felt, until I saw a frowning Noah.

    "What are you doing here, Brynn?" he asked, releasing his hand from my mouth.

    "I needed to find you.  You need to come with me," I gasped.  All the panic I had been pushing down bubbling to the surface.

    "Brynn, have you lost your mind?  East is preparing for war.  Central attacked early this morning."  He looked at me like I had grown three more heads.

    I pulled back, shaking his hand off of my arm.  "I know.  I was there."  

    "What?"  He stepped towards me, now visibly upset and confused.  

    "I released Jory's balloons at sunrise.  I was in Cheapside this morning.  The attack came when I was on the rail home.  It's all my fault."  My voice rose.

    "The balloons?"

    "Yes.  I released the balloons this morning.  When I spoke to my father, he told me that the War Machine had picked up objects in the sky and registered them as a threat.  It destroyed them.  That was the attack.  I tried to explain to my father, but he refused to believe the Machine could be wrong.

    "I thought if you and I could speak to the Council of Ministers, they might listen."

    "Why would they listen to us, Brynn?  Besides, I can't even get into Central.  Look at me."  He argued, stepping back from me so I had a full view of him

    And look at him I did.  He was tall, at least a head taller than me, and had a noble bearing.  He stood with his broad shoulders back, his muscled arms held loose at his sides.  But more than that, his face held a sureness to it.  His eyes bright with truth and assurance.  If not for his clothing, he could pass for anyone within Central, as I was now sure many from other Regions could.  

Central wanted us to believe that the people of the surrounding Regions were different from us.  Warped by the contaminants released during the Glorious War.  They wanted us to believe that we were superior and therefore held the right to rule over all others.  As a child I had swallowed the brainwashing they had spoon fed us.  But now I was not so sure.  Digging in the satchel, I pulled out my father's suit, handing it to him.

"Put this on."

    He held it up as though it was a venomous snake, waiting to strike.  "Where did you get this?"

"It's my father's.  He has so many, he won't even notice it's gone."  I tried to sound more confident that I actually felt.   

"Brynn..."  His voice held a warning.

"Please, Noah."

"Brynn, dressing me up won't make a difference if they don't want to hear what we have to say.  Central has been waiting for a reason to attack East.  We hold their economy in our hands every day.  If East decided to rebel, all we would have to do is stop mining.  What do you think we mine for, Brynn?"

I realized then, that I didn't know.  We grew up being taught, that the East was the mining and manufacturing region.  What they mined and manufactured was never relevant.  Shaking my head, I studied Noah.  True his clothes and hair were covered with a layer of dust, but it wasn't coal dust.  Besides we hadn't used something as crude as coal or fossil fuels since before the Glorious War.  So what were they mining in the East?

"We mine precious metals and gems, Brynn.  They are the basis for Central's economy.  They pay us a fee, and we work the mines.  We are supposed to be happy that we are able to do this service for Central, and being able to be productive members of the Society in a whole.  But in actuality, we are giving away our own wealth.  Just handing it over to the Central Government, and providing ourselves the illusion of protection.  People of the Regions are surviving, Brynn, not living."

My eyes were round with understanding.  This was my fault.  The Regions on the brink of war, and it was all because of me.  My lungs began to constrict, cutting off my air.  How could I have been so stupid?  How could I have been so naive?  I believed what they wanted me to.  Mindlessly marching to the tune of the piper.  Never thinking where it might lead.

"This is my fault.  I have to do something.  They are going to go to war over nothing," I whispered.

Noah looked at me sadly.  Seeing my innocence for what it really was... the indoctrination of Central's cardinal law as truth.

"You did not start this.  You only provided them with the catalyst to start the fire.  They have been looking for a reason to attack the outer regions for years.  They need to exact their control by a show of force.  How else could they sit on their thrones and rule, from the perfection of Central.  They do not know hardship.  They do not know hunger.  They have been raised in the Olympus of our time.  Their every need is catered to by the rest of the regions.

"Do you not see this, Brynn?  Have you never questioned where your food comes from?  Where your clothes, or  transports, or building materials come from?  There is nothing inside central except the ruling class.  You make nothing.  You are a region of thinkers, who have your minions do all of your dirty work."

His anger was palpable, and I stepped back from it.  He was right.  I had grown up blinded to the reality of our world.  I had no idea where the food on my table came from.  I sat, and it was placed before me.  Who had grown the produce?  Where was the animal raised?  There were no farms in Central.  No slaughterhouses, or dairy factories.

And what of the materials to build the magnificent buildings that were in Central?  Or the rail system?  Or our transports?  Where did it all come from?  And why had I never questioned this?  I did not know that answer.  But I did know I couldn't remain in the darkness any longer.  

I looked to Noah.  My mind cleared of the fog of my youth.  And yet it wasn't a dawning light that embraced my new found knowledge, but a dark shadow.  

"Help me, please.  Help me make this right."  I held out my hand to him, hoping he was willing to look beyond my ignorance, to the desperate need to repair what had been destroyed.

He was slow to take it, but take my hand he did.  

"Give me a minute to get changed."

For him it was as simple as that.  It was a matter of the heart not the head.  And he would follow me to the ends of the earth because he loved me.  As I turned my back, I wondered if I had such conviction.  I who had lived a life of luxury compared to his bleak existence.  I who had been handed everything compared to the blood, sweat, and tears his family had to shed, in order to eke out a living.  And in that moment, I knew I wanted nothing more than to be worthy of his love.

"How do I look?" he asked.

Turning, I had a sinking feeling in my stomach.  I reached out and adjusted the lapel of his jacket just to touch him.  "Just like them."

Noah frowned at my tone.  "Isn't that what you wanted?"

Looking into his eyes, I answered, "I thought I did."

"And now?"  He reached for my hand.

I laughed derisively, "Be careful what you wish for."

He smiled and stepped closer.  I had to look up to see his leaf green eyes.  I longed to be as confident as he, but I knew wishes could be dangerous things.  

"Especially when you're a faerie queen." he smiled, brushing my hair back from my shoulder.  "Let's go."

The ride back on the rail was tense.  It was not that we were worried at someone discovering that Noah was an Easterner, that weighed on our minds.  But that once we reached our destination that we would be unable to sway their position.  We reached Central City and I led Noah from the rail terminal to the Council Building across the street.  

I tried to move quickly, but Noah slowed me down.  He was mesmerized by Central City, and couldn't help but stare in wonder at everything around him.  Turning, I tried to get him to hurry, but he was lost in the overwhelming beauty of what he saw.  

"I never dreamed..." I heard him whisper ever so softly.

"We must move quickly.  The Ministers have been in council since this morning."  Grabbing his hand he focused on me finally, and must have seen the panic in my face because he began to move quickly.


	4. Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

It was easy getting past the guards at the back gate.  They knew me since I was a baby, and accepted Noah because he was with me.  It was the Sentinels standing at the Council doors that were a hitch in my plans.  I had never tried to get into a Council of Ministers before, never having cared about what went on behind the closed doors.  But I needed to think quickly, and appear confident, which I wasn’t in the least.  I felt like a little child, playing Blind-Man’s-Bluff, stumbling along, trying to find my way through the darkness to the other players.  

“No one is allowed access to the chambers while Council is in session,” the Sentinel on the right muttered through his riot mask.  

“I am Brynn Goodchild.  My father is Ronan Goodchild, Vice-Chairman of Central and the surrounding regions.  I must see my father immediately.  I bring him urgent news regarding the imminent marshall law.”

The Sentinel on the left looked at me, and then to his partner.  I expected them to immediately open the doors, and let us in.  Much to my surprise, that was not what happened.  

“And I am still not letting you in to the Council chambers.  I have been given express instructions that no one gets in without an invitation from either Chairman Van Dyne or Vice-Chairman Goodchild.  So you might as well head home child, because you’re not heading in there.”

Taking a deep breath, I tried to pull my normal authority to me, and intimidate these men.  I was obviously not succeeding, as I was completely cowed by them, not used to being brushed aside, like a Commoner.  

“Vice-Chairman Goodchild sent a transmission for his daughter to bring me to him.”  Noah spoke up from next to me.  

I glanced at him and was startled.  The authority seemed to emanate from him.  I had never seen him like this before.  Noah had always been the quiet boy whose smile had captured my heart.  The boy who thought deeply, yet said little.  

"And who are you?" the Sentinel growled.

"Noah Oren Tully.  My father is Oren Brian Tully, the head of the East faction.  I have come in my fathers place to speak with Chairman Van Dyne and Vice-Chairman Goodchild.  Go and tell them I have come to treat with them."

The first Sentinel paused for a moment, before turning and entering the Chambers after a knock.

I looked at Noah, with clear eyes for the first time.  I had fallen in love with him, never once thinking he wouldn't tell me the truth.  After all I had told him.  How innocent and naive I was.    I had lied to my parents, and involved my sister in this mad romance.  And I had put myself in unforeseen danger, all because I had never dreamed, that smiling green eyed boy, could be anyone but who he said he was.  I'm sure the accusation was plain on my face, because when he turned to me, his apology was written on his.  

Stepping next to me, he tried to take my hand.  Pulling away, I stepped aside and kept my gaze on the door.

"I'm sorry, Brynn.  I couldn't take the chance.  I had to protect my father."  His voice was hushed.

The anger was boiling within me, and I couldn't help but challenge him.

"And after you knew me?  After we had spent time together?  After I let you get close to my sister?  When you finally knew I was no threat to you or your family?  What then?  Did you not think to tell me the truth then?" I whispered fiercely.

"The lie was too far gone.  You would have never forgiven me.  I was a coward.  I didn't want to lose you.  I couldn't lose you."

"Do not hope that I will forgive you now.  I despise being made a fool of."  I hissed through my teeth, as the Sentinel returned from the Chambers.  

"They will see you now."

Noah went first, stepping into the round room of the Council Chamber, and moving to it's very center.  I followed.  My jaw held rigid, and my eyes trained on the back of his head.  Behind us the door shut with a loud boom, yet I refused to be moved to fear.  I held my anger to me and used it as armor against my battered heart.

"What is the meaning of this, Brynn?"  My father stood, staring down as us from the great height of his chair.

I opened my mouth, and then closed it, having no idea what I wanted to tell him.  

"We are here to explain what occurred in the sky over East early this morning."  Noah spoke up.

"Hold your tongue boy."  Chairman Van Dyne snapped at him.  "Vice-Chairman Goodchild is speaking to his daughter.  You will remain silent until you are spoken to."

I had never heard Chairman Van Dyne speak like that before.  He had always been so kind to Tinka and me, whenever we had seen him.  His smile could brighten a room.  Never had I thought he could appear so violent and angry.

Noah stood next to me, in mute challenge.

"I need to explain what happened in Cheapside this morning."  I finally spoke.

"And what was that?"  The frown between my fathers brows deepened.

"I left the house and went to Cheapside this morning.  I released the Red Balloons that you shot down.  It was not an attack on Central from East.  It was simply a mistake.  I did not mean any harm."

"Balloons?  You mean to tell me that you released balloons and that the War Machine, mistook balloons as a threat?  Do you think I don't know lie when I see it?"  Father growled at me.

"I'm not lying.  I swear..."

"Sir, I can attest to Brynn's honesty.  East is not attacking Central, nor do they have plans to attack Central.  I was with Brynn when she bought the balloons for my brother and her sister."  Noah tried to help.

"You got Tinka involved in this!"  he roared.

I closed my eyes, knowing he would never listen to me now.

"How long have you two been secretly meeting?"  he accused.

I dropped my head, too ashamed to voice the answer.  Noah remained silent.  At least he knew enough to let me dig my own grave.  

"Answer me, Brynn Elizabeth Goodchild."  His voice was low and dripped with ice.

Lifting my head, I looked directly at him.  Trying to forget the other 98 Council Ministers sitting around the room.  "Two months.  Since we met in May, during your inspection of the factory in East."

I was proud that my voice didn't waiver.  I was not proud of what I had done.  Not proud I had lied to my parents, but I would own my choice.  I would not cower before these men, bent on a course no matter the truth they are provided.  I reached for Noah's hand, and he took mine in his.

"We have met every day for the past two months, along with Noah's brother, Jory, and my sister, Tinka.  We formed a friendship.  The children have formed a bond.  There was nothing sinister or covert going on.  We simply enjoyed each other's company and that is all."  I announced loudly, for the entire room to hear.

"You have betrayed your Region, Brynn Goodchild.  Consorting with any foreigner, is against the law, and holds consequences.  But consorting with the son of a rebellious faction leader even more so.  Who knows what information you could have passed onto him unknowingly.  I'm surprised he was even forthcoming with his true identity."

And the arrow struck.  He had somehow hit his mark without even knowing where to aim.  I could feel Noah's eyes on me, and I know he was begging me to tell the truth.  To let him take the fall for deceiving me.  But I had made my choice, taken my steps, and I would not turn back.  I was never one to retreat.

"Noah was honest with me from the day we met.  I knew who he was, and he knew who I was.  It didn’t matter to either of us.”

A voice from somewhere in the tiers of the circular room spoke up.  “Of course it didn’t matter to him, you stupid girl.  You were a perfect target for him and his traitorous father.”

“Hold your tongue, Minister Evans.  Vice-Chairman Goodchild and I will deal with his daughter.”  Chairman Van Dyne admonished the elderly Minister.

“Brynn, how could you?”  my father asked.

His voice sounded beaten.  As though my deceit had broken him.  I had never heard my father sound so resigned.  He was forever the one to look at a way around a problem.  Yet now, he simply had given up.

“We meant no harm.  We fell in love,” I whispered.  

“Love?!” my father roared.  “You do not know what love is!  What you feel for him isn’t love.  It isn’t real.  You are a child, blinded by a pretty face.

“Love,” he scoffed derisively, shaking his head.  “Chairman Van Dyne, I defer to you.  I will accept the punishment you choose, and will not appeal your ruling regarding my daughter.  She knowingly consorted with an undesirable and admits to her lies.”

“Father!”  I cried.

My eyes pleaded with him to understand… to forgive me, but he would not look at me any longer.  I had broken his heart, and nothing I could do or say would repair it.  I could not get any air into my lungs.  I was numb.  My head swirled with the implications of what he had just said.  For all intents and purposes, he had just disowned me.    
    “Chairman Van Dyne, please.  Brynn was an innocent in all of this.  She did not know who I was, or that my father was the faction leader in East.  You must hold her blameless.”  Noah’s voice rose over the din of the other Ministers, at my fathers speech.

“Boy, whether Miss Goodchild knew who you were or not, is not the issue.  What is the issue, is that she even befriended an undesirable from East, and smuggled you and your brother into our borders, or her sister and herself into yours.  Our laws are in place to protect our people.  Miss Goodchild broke our laws, and there will be reparation due.  And the fact that she knowingly consorted with a known and wanted criminal, is even more damning.  

“Brynn Elizabeth Goodchild, you will be returned to Vice-Chairman Goodchild’s residence, under guard, until the time the Council of Ministers had decided your sentence.  Noah Oren Tully, you will be detained in a solitary cell, and ransomed to your father.  If he continues his plans to lead a rebellion against Central and us, you will be executed.”

“No!”  I screamed, pulling him tight to me.  

“Father, you can’t let this happen.  We did nothing wrong.  East is not attacking Central.  I swear to you it was just balloons!  Father, please, listen to me!”

“Sentinels,  remove these two criminals from the Council Chamber.”  Chairman Van Dyne called out, over the now maddening noise of the ninety-seven other Ministers in the room.  

“Father!” I pleaded over the noise.

He simply shook his head and turned away.  My heart was pounding in my chest.  I felt as if it was going to break through bones and skin and shatter me.  The room was swirling, and nothing made sense.  My only memory of those last minutes in the Council Chamber, was Noah’s lips pressed to my ear.

“Brynn, listen.  Get Tinka, and get to East.  Find anyone and tell them you need to speak to Oren Tully.  Tell my father I sent you, and he will keep you safe.  We are prepared for this, Brynn.  We have protection from an attack.  Just get to my father.”

The last was yelled over the noise, as the Sentinels pulled us apart.  He struggled against them, to stay close to me, as I fought against the arms that held me from him.

“Please, Brynn, go.  I will find you.  I will come for you.  My father won’t let them kill me.”

“Noah!”  I screamed, as I watched a Sentinel swing a riot stick, making contact with the back of Noah’s head.  

His head immediately lolled to the side, and they dragged him away.  As the men holding me, began to remove me from the Chambers, I looked for my father.

Catching his eyes, I lifted my chin defiantly.  “I will never forgive you for this.”  My voice rose above the others.  “You are not Ministers.  You are a council of boys, drunk on your own power.  Crushing the very people who provide you your way of life.  You will destroy everything you have built because of your own greed.  And I will watch as it all tumbles down around you.”

“Take her away!” Chairman Van Dyne roared.

This time I didn’t resist.  Turning, I walked away, my shoulders straight, my head held high.  I walked out of that room an adult, leaving behind the shattered remnants of my childhood.  Nothing would ever be the same.  Nothing was as it had seemed.  The people sworn to protect the people of the Regions, bent on destroying them, and a person who I was suppose to fear, bringing me hope.  


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 99 dreams I have had, everyone a red balloon  
> It's all over, I'm standing pretty, in this dust that was our city.  
> If I could find one souvenir, just to prove the world was here,  
> Here it is a red balloon, and I think of you and let it go.
> 
> ::99 Red Balloons::

CHAPTER FIVE

The ride home was a blur.  When my mother opened the door to find me flanked by two Sentinels, her eyes rounded in shock.

“Has something happened?  Brynn, are you alright?”

I bowed my head as one of them answered her.

“Chairman Van Dyne has placed Brynn Goodchild under house arrest, until her sentence can be dealt.  She is prohibited from leaving Vice-Chairman Goodchild’s residence until that time.  We are to be stationed outside her door until we are given other instructions.”

“Brynn, what are they talking about?  What happened?  This is Vice-Chairman Goodchild’s daughter.  How dare you treat her like a common criminal.”  My mother squawked and fluttered around us as I led them to my bedroom.

“Ma'am, we are well aware of who she is.  As we are well aware of her infractions, and the Chairman’s ruling.  Please step back.  The prisoner is not allowed any visitors.”  The second Sentinel spoke.

“This is my home!  How dare you tell me… Brynn, what have you done?!”

Before entering the room, I finally turned to look at her.  When had she become this simple thing, whose life circled around the next gala or charity fundraiser?  When had she diminished in my eyes?  Or had she always been this way, and I had been too blind by innocence to realize?

“I’m sorry, Mother.”

I could hear her through the door, they had shut behind me.  Slowly her voice faded, until I heard her no more.  Walking to my dresser, I stopped and stared at my reflection in the mirror.  My critical eyes, took in my appearance.  Every detail staring back at me.  

Where was she?  Where was the Brynn from yesterday?  The carefree girl who harmlessly snuck out of her house to make a little boy happy?  Where was that girl who had seen her parents as perfect?  The girl who had thought her life was a good one.  I could not find her anymore.  She was gone.  And the girl that looked back, was one with shattered dreams, and lost innocence.

“Brynn?”

I spun at Tinka’s voice.  Finding her cowering in the corner, almost completely hidden by the curtain.

“Tinka!”  I knelt down and opened my arms to her.  

Her little body barreled into mine, as I caught her quick and held her close.  I breathed in the scent of her skin.  Baby lotion and clean clothes, she had always smelled this way.  

“Brynn, what is going on?  Why did they lock you in here?  What is wrong with Mother?”

“Shh, they mustn’t know you are here.  Father found out about Noah and Jory.  They took Noah into custody, and are keeping me prisoner here.  Central is going to start a war with East.  

“It’s because of the balloons, Tinka.  I tried to make it right, but they wouldn’t listen.  This is all my fault.”  I buried my face in her shoulder.  

Stepping back, she took my face in her tiny hands, and look into my eyes.  “Then you have to fix it, Brynn.  If you messed up, you just have to fix it.  Like when you paint, and you make a mistake.  You need to figure out a way to make it work out.”

I stared at her, long and hard.  When did this child become more insightful than a room full of Ministers?  How did she have the capacity to look at this mess and say, “Well, then clean it up.”?

“You are right, Tinka.  I need to fix it.  I need to make it somehow work out.  But first I need to get you somewhere safe.”

“Nowhere is safe anymore, Brynn.”

“I know, but I have to get you to the safest place I can.  I have to get you to Jory and his father.  His father is alive, Tinka.  Noah lied to me.”

She nodded.  “I know.  Jory told me a long time ago.”

My head was spinning so fast, I couldn’t even question her.  It just seemed right that she knew.  Tinka was a very different person than me.  And for Jory to trust her immediately wasn’t surprising.  

“How are we going to get out?” she questioned logically.  

My eyes strayed to the bathroom.  “Come with me.  

We hurried into the bathroom, and I stood on tip toe to reach the top of the moulding of one of the linen closet doors.  Pulling down a key, I inserted it into the lock and yanked open the door.  Before me was not a linen closet but a shaft illuminated with soft blue light.  A metal ladder reached down into the darkness below.

“I will go first.  You follow me.  Hold tight to the rails of the ladder.”

“What is that?”  Tinka asked, fear coloring her voice.

“It’s our escape plan.  The tunnels are built under the house, and lead to an old underground missile silo about a mile from here.  It was Father’s plan for us to go there incase there was ever an emergency.  Hurry, follow me.”  

We scrambled down the ladder, and made our way slowly through the dimly lit tunnel until we came upon a door.  I typed in the passcode my father had me memorize, and entered the decommissioned missile silo.  We navigated the silo’s winding stairs and exited through the small round hatch hidden in a shed on the edge of our property.

This time we headed for the rail terminal in the neighborhood next to ours.  We reached Cheapside, quickly, and maneuvered to the gap in the wall.  As we neared, Jory silently stepped from the trees, as if he had been waiting for us.  Tinka flew to him and hugged him tightly, then turned and both watched as I approached on slower feet.  When I reached them, Jory wrapped my waist with his hands, and squeezed.

“Where is Noah?” was his immediate question.

I could barely get out the words.  “The Chairman had him arrested.”

“You need to come with me.  My father will protect you both.  Come.”  Jory had suddenly become an adult, taking on the mantle of responsibility that Noah had worn.

He turned and expected Tinka and me to follow.  She tugged on his hand, making him turn back to us.

“Tinka will go with you.  I cannot.”

“Why?  Noah wanted you to go to my father.  He told me if anything happened to him, I was to get you to our father.”

“Yes, but…”  I didn’t know what to say.  

“She needs to clean up her mess first.”  Tinka piped up.

Jory looked at her for a moment and then nodded.  “I will bring Tinka to my father, and you will come when you’ve finished.  There will be a guard here to bring you to us when you get back.”

“Thank you, Jory.”  I bent and kissed his cheek.  I could not tell him I had no intention of returning if Noah wasn’t with me.  I was pretty sure he would have his father after me if he knew what my plan was.

“Tinka, I will come for you soon.  And I’m going to make this right.  Please stay with Jory and his father.  You will be safe with them.”

She nodded, and hugged me tightly before they both headed into the trees to disappear.  I watched them go, and Jory suddenly turn around.

“Wait!”  He ran back to me, pulling something from his pocket.

Holding out his small hand, I found a red scrap held within it.  

“I saw them.  I saw them all, Brynn.  And this one was tangled in a tree.  It wasn’t destroyed by the missile's.  This one was my wish.  I want you to have it.”

He placed the piece of balloon in my hand, and ran back to Tinka.  Holding the remnant of Jory’s wish in my hand I watched them disappear, before I turned.  Placing it in my pocket,  I headed back to the rail terminal and the mess I had left behind in Central.

                                                                       ------------------------------------------------

The siren’s started before I reached Central.  Only moments later the pod shook from an explosion, and the rail completely stopped.  They had started the attack.  I knew this strategy.  Central would bombard East with enough missiles to make them cower, and then offer a treaty.  They thought they were invincible, sitting on their hill in the center of Central City.  Apparently East had other ideas.

The first bomb dropped on Central City at 5:23PM.  I had been racing back to Central City, in my own war with time, when the ground shook beneath my feet and I stumbled to the ground.  I was miles from the impact, but it still shook me, causing a slight ringing in my ears.  I remained on the ground for a few moments, disoriented, and in shock.  

East had just returned fire on Central.  This was a very different answer than anyone ever imagined.  East had firepower and they were willing to use it.  I began to panic.  Noah and my father were in Central City.  I needed to get to them.  Picking myself up from the ground I began to run in earnest.  The jets rocketed by overhead.  Their noise vibrating through my body.  And the War Machine struck back.  Bombs began to drop quickly now, strategically placed to cripple Central City.

Another bomb hit.  This time much closer to where I was.  Knocking me from my feet.  I hit the ground hard, banging my head against the pavement.  The pain seared through my head.  My vision went blurry, and the light slowly faded as I lost consciousness.

I came to, to muffled noises, the heady scent of flowers, and darkness.  I rolled to my side, moaning as the pain burned through my head, making nausea roll up in my throat.  

“Stay still, child.  You took a pretty hard fall.”  A voice near me spoke.

Everything sounded as though my ears were stuffed with cotton.  Opening my eyes a bit more, I saw a face.

“Where am I?”  I groaned, the very sound of my voice creating bright explosions behind my eyes.

“You fell outside my shop.  I saw you and pulled you in.  You hit your head.” I was able to tell it was a woman’s voice.  

As my vision cleared, I was able to make out her features and our surroundings. I lay on the floor of a flower shop, with this woman, who was probably around the age of my mother.  

“I must go,” I whispered.  

“But you are hurt.  And the bombing hasn’t stopped.”

I got to my feet, and leaned on a nearby table to steady myself.  The pain within my head was slowly abating, but the lump on my temple was throbbing.  Blinking, I stepped towards the door.

“Child, please.  We are being attacked.  It’s not safe.”  She grabbed my hand.

“Thank you, for saving me.  But I must go.  I have to find someone.”  

I slipped my hand from hers, looking at her for a long moment, and exited the building.  The noise was deafening, and the ground shook as if the earth beneath my feet roiled from the pain.  The air was full of dust and debris, and my throat burned with it.  I gagged on the fumes, and my eyes watered.  But I refused to stop.  I was determined to get to Noah.  I had to make this right.  And as suddenly as the bombing had begun, it suddenly stopped.  

I reached Central City, and stopped in my tracks.  The Capitol had been razed to the ground.  There was not one familiar sight I found as I stumbled through the rubble towards where I knew the Council of Ministers building had been.  When I reached what was left of the building, I moved across the littered lawn, (once a carpet of green velvet but now torn to shreds), towards where I calculated the prison cells to be.  My eyes burned and teared, as I looked desperately, for the one person, I needed to be alive.  And it was there I found him.  

Bodies were scattered among the rubble, and I stumbled over them as I searched each face.  I prayed I would not find him here.  But when I saw the shock of black hair, I knew my prayers were for nothing.  Coming upon him I tried to stifle a shocked sob.  It was obvious what had happened.  A piece of shrapnel, either from a bomb, or the shattered building, (I had no idea which) had slashed his throat just beneath his jaw near his ear.  It had severed the main artery in his neck.

I squeezed my eyes closed tight.  But try as I might I could not stop my mind from forming images of how he must have died.  Alone on the grass, his life’s blood being pumped into the dirt of a city he did not belong to.  A city that would not suffer his existence.

Dropping to my knees next to him, another sob bubbled up from my chest, and I was unable to stop the torrent.  I was shattered.  The pieces of me so severely blasted apart, that I saw no way to put them all back together.  Everything hurt and nothing did.  

I wept.  I drowned in my tears.  I cradled his head in my arms, as I rocked.  I could not contain my grief, nor could I express it.  So many different emotions battered me.  I knew he wasn’t there any longer, but I could not let go.

I looked down into his eyes.  Those leaf green eyes, that had crinkled in the corners when he laughed.  His eyes, that had held his love for me, plain to see.

“I hate you, Noah Tully.  I will never forgive you for leaving me.”  I sniffled like a child, still rocking.

“You said, you would  come for me.  You said, you would find me.” I accused him with a sob, lying my forehead against his. “If this is love, I do not want it.”

I could not move.  I did not want to.  He was here with me, and if I allowed them to take him away, then it was real… it all was real.  I didn’t want to believe it could possibly have happened.  It was all just a horrid dream that I would wake up from.  Because if this was reality, then I would rather be dreaming.  

I held him close, running my hand over his cheek, with no care for the blood smeared there.  I wanted nothing more than to lie down next to him and close my eyes against the pain.  To allow my heart to slow, to let my breaths come few and far between, and fade away to nothing with him.  

A sob escaped my parched lips. “Why does it hurt so much?”

I closed my eyes, lifting my face to the shadowed sun.  It hung low in the sky, just above the horizon, appearing a sickly orange, smeared with red and brown, through the debris floating in the air.  The rotten peach of the Glorious War.  The peach contaminated by lies, greed and fear.  

Tears streaked down the grime on my cheeks, and dripped from my chin on to his precious face.  As as if in a dream I could hear his voice.  Ever so faint.  An echo of a memory.

“Because it was real.”  It spoke the only truth that I knew now.

Opening my eyes, I looked down at his face.  The light now gone forever from his eyes, the mouth that would never smile at me again.  I bent my head, and laid my lips against his.  Pulling away, tears blurred my vision.  Sliding my hand in my pocket, I pulled out the piece of balloon Jory had handed me.  Opening his hand to place it there, something caught the sun and glinted in the fading light.

I did not believe that I could hurt any more than I already did, until I saw what lay in his lifeless fingers.  I held a silver ring, engraved with ancient Eastern tribal symbols.  It was an Eastern wedding ring.

The  sobs started anew, as I clutched it to my chest and bent in half over his body.  I shook with each sob torn from my throat.  I felt as if the pain would never end.  But eventually the sobs did subside, and I was able to think, if not clearly, with some semblance of clarity. I placed the ring upon my third finger, and tucked the balloon in his hand.  Gently lifting his head, I lay him down on the soft carpet of grass, before standing.  My eyes never leaving his face.  

‘Because it was real’.  It was the only thing that made sense in my life just then.  And I pulled it close to me, wrapping myself in the remnants of what we had had, and turned to face a world that balanced on the edge of a knife.  The war with East was only the beginning.  Other Regions would follow.  Safety was an illusion we could no longer trust.  It was time to face the harsh reality.  And it was time for the youth to open their eyes to the world of lies the adults had blinded us with.  

 


End file.
